Protestant nonconformity was one of the most significant influences in nineteenth-century Britain, and has rightly received considerable attention from historians. At both local and national level much of its influence was channelled through, and inspired by, the activities and utterances of the professional minister. The names of the most successful were often household words in the Victorian period, and most have attracted a biographer. Yet neither the experiences nor the careers of these pulpit princes were necessarily those of the typical minister - almost nine thousand of them in 1900 - who served in the chapels of the main dissenting denominations. Using simple sampling and statistical techniques, Kenneth D. Brown sets out to recreate the lives, both private and professional, of this less celebrated but faithful and more representative body of men, rescuing them from the anonymity of the past.
Reviews
'By focusing on the statistical evidence, Brown has make a novel and important contribution to the history of Nonconformity.' Times Higher Education Supplement
`a welcome and important addition to the growing body of literature on nineteenth-century Nonconformity' English Historical Review
'a masterly and often humorous account' Barbara Godlee, Times Literary Supplement
'The strength of Dr Brown's book lies in its use of the material in college reports and in denominational literature. It is a model of how detailed analysis with a strong statistical base can be used to understand a mass of biographical material. R. W. Ambler, Lincolnshire History and Archaeology
'an important work of reference because of its range and thoroughness' David M. Thompson, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, Journal of Ecclesiastical History
'solidly researched and persuasively argued ... The statistical material Brown has compiled is very valuable and will ensure that the book continues to be widely used for many years to come.' Journal of Modern History 64 (JUne 1992)



Book Information
ISBN 9780198227632
Author Kenneth D. Brown
Format Hardback
Page Count 254
Imprint Clarendon Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Dimensions(mm) 224mm * 145mm * 19mm